Unbarred Prisons
by Nekkyou Hiryuu
Summary: Hogwarts couldn't hold her...St. Mungo's couldn't hold her...so how are eight old friends going to do?
1. Sparrows in Winter

Y'know…I never really intended to write a sequel to Draika. The story never received much support, and had extremely little recognition even among those who did feel compelled to read it. All I know is that once the idea got in my head, I couldn't let it go. So now I burden you with yet another work of my mind. If I horribly kill any facts stated in the books, please let me know. I am using no references.  
  
And I don't think I care about no one reviewing my stories anymore.  
  
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~Unbarred Prisons~  
  
Chapter One: Sparrows in Winter  
  
  
  
It was winter. She could remember that much. Winter. The sun was warm, yet her room was cold…so cold. The little window that let in the light did little good to improve Draika's spirits - just a tiny screen showing her the world that she could never have. Sometimes she wished for a bed across the room, a bed that would not tease her with images of a real life. But what would that be? Giving up?  
  
She stared listlessly up at the whitewashed ceiling, watching as a fly buzzed from corner to corner, searching for the way out. The noise was nearly deafening in the silence that she had become so used to. No incredibly recognizable thoughts drifted across her once-cunning mind; no plans of escape or havoc bubbling away under her placid exterior. St. Mungo's had changed her…or had she changed some time before? Everything was muddled together into one big memory, parts of her childhood intersecting with yesterday. When had her mother last sung her that lullaby? Just before lunch? Had she ever had a mother? Had it all been a dream?  
  
The person in the bed against the far wall sat up, glazed eyes staring longingly towards the window. Her eyes flicked over to him, reading in him the same pain and listlessness that she knew must be in her own expression. She had never asked why he was in here…or talked at all, come to think of it. He had to be quite some years her senior, although his face was young. He had never talked to her, and Draika didn't think he ever would. People in her wing of the hospital didn't seem to be much for words. Tiring of his unblinking gaze, she turned back to the ceiling.  
  
The forest had been her last glimpse of Hogwarts. She had awoken in the hospital, with healers swarming all around. She remembered screaming; running; fear…or had that been many years ago? Was the forest simply beyond that wooden door, waiting for her to come visit again? A disturbance in the corridor outside made her listen, made her attempt to sit up. Was someone trying to escape? Her thoughts were still slow, but she hoped it wasn't one of the older patients. It was always embarrassing to watch their feeble attempts.  
  
"Now, really!" A Healer cried as the door to the room burst open, letting a group of black-robed witches and wizards swarm in. There had to be more than five, Draika guessed in bewilderment, trying to remain as still as possible, like sleep. Maybe they would overlook her; leave her alone…   
  
"Draika." One of them knelt by her bed, a pale-faced witch with violet hair hanging in her bright green eyes. "Draika?" The others were standing back respectfully, large hoods obscuring their features. The Healer went on yapping about how they weren't allowed; they had to check in, not come barging in; the patients needed calm and order…she went unnoticed.  
  
The witch held out her hand to the sleeping girl, but not for her to grasp. A brown sparrow was perched on her open palm, gazing quizzically at Draika. He peeped, pecking at her nose. The unexpected pain threw her disguise as she opened her startlingly golden eyes, beginning to tinge with the red of strain and overuse. Obviously pleased with the reaction he had gotten, the sparrow proceeded to meticulously preen what little bit of hair fell in her eyes.  
  
"Kiba…" Draika mumbled, eyes now half-lidded. She reached out a finger to stroke his head. Her eyes finally focused on the witch, who was barely into her twenties. "…Stelmaria?"  
  
The witch's already bright eyes lit up with happiness, letting the sparrow hop onto the bedridden girl's hand. Looking back at those who accompanied her, she gestured for them to come forwards.  
  
"We wrote to you," Said one, drawing back his hood to reveal a messy mop of bright red hair and pale grey eyes belonging to a boy that couldn't have been over sixteen. "but you never replied…so Stel made us all come on a gallant rescue mission to Hogwarts."  
  
"She was mortified," Laughed another, a witch with frizzy black hair and brown eyes, sitting on the edge of her bed. "to hear that they'd shipped you off to Mungo's."  
  
"She nearly took the Headmaster's head off, din'ya, Stel?" A ruddy-faced wizard about Stelmaria's age with short copper hair and bewildered blue eyes pushed the violet-haired witch jokingly. "Hey, Trellich, show 'er the travel bill. Might wake 'er up a bit."  
  
Indeed, Draika's mind was slow to comprehend all that was happening. The Healer had left, seeing that the visitors were friendly enough and her patient was not in any danger that she could see. They were friends…had she met them last week? Or perhaps years ago, when her life had been carefree and wild?  
  
"What's wrong with her?" A solidly built wizard with lime green hair and chocolate brown eyes bent over her, lifting a drooping eyelid to peer into her iris. "They've probably been putting some kind of sedative in her food…where'd that Healer go?" He rushed out the door, followed by two of the hooded figures.  
  
The only remaining person stayed back, as if afraid and awkward, or simply embarrassed. Draika blinked, looking at the ones who surrounded her.   
  
"I thought…" She cast her eyes over the group yet again, realizing she could place each concerned face with a name. "Stelmaria, Xeran, Wren, Jasper…and Basil." The words took more energy than she could remember. "You forgot me."  
  
"Forgot?" The copper-haired Jasper smirked. "How could we forget, when you nearly held a knife to our throats to make us promise that we would write?"  
  
"And we did…just a mention of your name would have us scurrying for quills and parchment." Wren, the frizzy-haired witch, grinned. "You never cease to inspire terror in our hearts."  
  
Stelmaria scooped the sparrow Kiba off of Draika's forehead, transferring him to her shoulder so she could prop Draika up using her cloak and a pillow for support.  
  
"She's pretty down." Her voice was tense. "Even if we can get her out, it'll be days before this stuff wears off…whatever it is."  
  
"And…the rest?" Draika mumbled, watching through the open door as Basil and his two hooded friends questioned the terrified healer. The lime-haired wizard shrugged, leading the other two back into the room.  
  
"She says it's nothing much…just standard medicine for all trauma patients." He snorted. "If I ever believe that…"  
  
Stelmaria turned, frowning at the interruption. "Draika, you wouldn't have met the Trellich twins before…they just transferred."   
  
The twins lowered their hoods as she waved a hand dismissively…but they didn't look like twins at all. One was a tall wizard, his long silver hair in a ponytail so it would not fall in his black eyes. The other was a stumpy witch, mouse-brown hair falling limply around her chubby face. Her honey-colored eyes were eager.  
  
"Pegasus and Dia, respectively." Basil told his old friend.  
  
Draika smiled distantly. Stelmaria was the oldest, although it was hard to believe. She knew none of the others would be over nineteen, but Basil would be twenty in January…she shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts together.  
  
"C'mon, Aeger, she won't have forgotten you." Xeran raised an eyebrow with a quirky grin, dragging the only person that had not yet removed his disguise. Draika's year mate rolled his eyes, pulling the hood off of the reluctant wizard's face.  
  
Like Basil and Stelmaria, his hair was dyed a particularly noticeable color: neon orange. Messy and uneven fringe spilled over his turquoise eyes as he sighed, shrugging his shoulders. Obviously the youngest of the group, he looked around nervously.  
  
"Damien." Draika nodded, dredging the name up from her mind. She took a breath in, looking over at the person who shared the room with her. His back was turned as he read a book, forcing himself to ignore the fact that he had no visitors, and probably never would.  
  
Before she could say anything else, Stelmaria hooked her elbow under Draika's, Basil doing the same thing to her left arm. They managed to get the bewildered girl to stand awkwardly on the tile floor, claws that desperately needed trimming skidding hopelessly on the slick surface.  
  
"All right…" Stel said reassuringly, letting her younger friend lean on her for support. "Basil's talked it all over with your Healer…we've managed to rent a small flat in town. Damned Muggle money…"   
  
"…Hogwarts?" Draika was stunned, asking the main word of the question that popped into her mind. The school…was she going back? She still wanted to know who had found her; put her in her invalid's cell.  
  
"No…" Xeran held the door open for the awkward pair, waiting until they had all exited before following them himself. "We're going to get you back to Romania, where you belong." 


	2. The Seeing Crystal

~Unbarred Prisons~  
  
Chapter Two: The Seeing Crystal  
  
  
  
It had been no easy task to get her out of St. Mungo's. Eight witches and wizards robed in conspicuous black, supporting a very nearly braindead patient with equally conspicuous feet…well, there were many questions asked. The story was simple: They were her visiting cousins, taking their ill relative on a walk around the hospital to get some exercise. This was more or less true, as Stelmaria was related to Draika by a very small percentage of blood and marriage.   
  
That only got them so far, though. A suspicious Healer on the third floor had delayed them for a good ten minutes, asking questions that couldn't possibly have anything to do with why they were taking a patient out of the hospital. Finally catching on that they were being delayed until the Healers from Draika's ward could catch up with them, Wren had no choice but to Stun the poor wizard. The group fled down the stairs, not wanting to take the chance that they would be ambushed while exiting the elevator.  
  
"Where do we go from here?" Stelmaria turned her eyes to Dia as they stumbled out into the busy streets of London. The plump witch looked bewildered for a moment, but quickly recovered her wits.  
  
"The back alleys…" She led the group through a dizzying maze of back streets and alleys that not even Pegasus could have memorized, Jasper and Stelmaria to either side of her. Xeran and Basil were right behind them, supporting a dazed-looking Draika. Wren and Pegasus kept behind them while Damien, not in the best of shape, struggled to keep up with their fast pace.  
  
For Draika, this was all some kind of strange dream. It was definitely happening in the here and now…but she felt dizzy; nauseated, and the blurred vision wasn't helping at all. After what seemed like ages, someone pressed her down into a soft chair, covering her legs with a woolen blanket. A smell like roasting coffee met her nostrils, so sudden that it made her jerk forwards in her seat, her knee hitting Pegasus under the chin.  
  
The silver-haired wizard reeled back from where he had been trimming Draika's claws, his eyes watering momentarily from shock and pain. Shaking his head, Dia's twin gave an amused smile and resumed to the task. Damien and Wren lounged nearby on a ratty sofa, shooting smoke rings at the old chandelier.  
  
"Hah! Got one." Damien grinned as one of his rings hooked around one of the empty candleholders, hanging there like a solid object.  
  
Stelmaria rolled her eyes, carrying a tray of coffee in from the kitchen. She placed it on an ancient end table, taking a moment to look out of a spotless window onto the streets far below. If there was one thing the witch insisted on, it was clean windows. The rest of the flat was a right mess, but the windows were always immaculate. She turned as the door slammed shut and Dia walked in, nearly dragging Xeran behind her in haste.  
  
"Did anyone see?" Stel asked anxiously, wringing a cloth napkin in her hands.  
  
"Not that we can tell." Dia shrugged, hanging up her thick overcoat on the doorknob before joining the others on the couch. "Where's Basil gotten to? And Jasper? I swear, I leave for ten minutes and everyone goes missing!"  
  
Xeran wandered aimlessly down the tiny hallway of the flat, wrinkling his nose. "Smell hasn't gotten any better, Stel." He scuffed a wet boot on the nubby oatmeal carpet, tapping a finger disdainfully on the wood-paneled walls. The whole flat seemed closed up, like a tiny box.  
  
"Basil's gone shopping." Stelmaria replied with a grin, ignoring Xeran's criticism of their home. "I'm surprised that you didn't catch him when he left."  
  
"He's gotten sneaky." Dia grumbled, not at all happy about the fact that she hadn't noticed.   
  
"Jasper had to go home." Damien sighed. "His mum's had another…another whatsit…" The young wizard furrowed his brow, shooting a smoke ring over Dia's head as she helped herself to a steaming mug of coffee.  
  
"Seizure, Damien." Pegasus replied patiently from the floor, sweeping up the claw trimmings into a neat pile.  
  
"Yeah. That." Bored of the smoke ring game, Damien stood and ventured into the kitchen. "Basil was right to go shopping! There's…what's this?" There was the sound of a carton being opened quite stickily. "Nevermind…it's gone bad."  
  
Xeran rolled his eyes. "Y'know, Dame, you had my hopes up there for a moment. Such a cruel boy."  
  
Draika smiled slowly, clouded eyes blinking at the people in the living room with her. Her eyes focused on a framed picture hung just to her right, of a snow leopard chasing two deer through swirling drifts of snow. For a moment she drifted, seeing the snow swirl before her eyes and the muffled padding of paws on white powder before she turned to watch Stelmaria add sugar to her coffee.  
  
"D'you reckon she's coming out of it at all?" Damien, having thoroughly explored the kitchen, folded his arms over the top of the armchair.   
  
Thoughts moved slowly through her mind, but Draika could tell that they were gathering speed. She recognized many of the people around her, although the silver-haired wizard trimming her claws made her a bit wary. Who was he? He seemed to be a friend, at any rate…and a pretty good claw-trimmer, too, she noted with satisfaction.  
  
"I'm not sure." Stelmaria shook her head, bright green eyes flicking towards the door every so often. "Basil'll know, though. What did you send him for, anyhow?" She looked at the group. "And who gave him Muggle money?"  
  
The rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances.  
  
-At the Grocer-  
  
Basil frowned at the shopping carts in front of him. No matter what he did, they refused to come apart from each other. Just as he was about to resign himself to pushing a ten-foot metal monstrosity through the narrow aisles of the grocer, he spied a stack of plastic baskets. Quickly abandoning his attempts at freeing a cart, he plucked up a basket and began his search for food.  
  
A comforting amount of Sickles and Galleons jangled merrily in the pocket of the wizard's robes as he inspected the produce section. A box filled with green apples caught his eye, and he selected several before moving on. He quickly rethought his decision, however, after spying a rather dirty-looking man handling several tomatoes and replacing them before finally choosing one. Basil put his apples back with a remorseful frown. He liked apples…  
  
The deli proved to be no more helpful. Eight varieties of noodle salads awaited the poor Basil, along with several types of sliced meat that were nearly indistinguishable from one another. Finally giving up on the entire idea of unpackaged food, he took to stalking the aisles. The many canned items puzzled him, but he managed to choose a few that looked like they contained desirable foods.  
  
"May I help you?" A diminutive worker squeaked, most of her face hidden by ridiculously thick glasses. Basil squinted at her for a moment before nodding vigorously.  
  
"Yes. What are these for, exactly?" He held up a tiny green piece of wire wrapped in paper. It bent delightfully in whichever way he prodded it, but seemed to serve no practical use.  
  
"That," stated the worker importantly as she reached up to pluck the thing from Basil's fingers. "is a twisty-tie."  
  
"What do they do, though?" The wizard pressed.  
  
Obviously not pleased with being questioned further, the worker pointed in the direction the produce section without saying anything.  
  
"But I've already BEEN there…oh, forget it." Basil shoved the thing in his pockets, much more frustrated than before, and took off towards a brightly lit section of the grocer.  
  
It was cold, nearly freezing, with unpleasant buzzing lights lining the cases. Working to keep hold of his basket, Basil wrapped his cloak tighter around himself. A tiny blinking light caught his eye and he bent down, examining the tiny stub of paper that a red plastic machine offered. ((A/N: Those coupon things…do they have those anymore?)) Intrigued, he pulled it out.  
  
"SAVE 30% ON ONE STICK SWEAT-B-GON DEODORANT!" Exclaimed the ticket in bold lettering. Having absolutely no idea what it was talking about, Basil took another in hopes that it would make more sense.  
  
"FROZEN PEAS - 2 FOR TWO DOLLARS!" Well, that was a small improvement. But who would want to freeze peas? Still slightly curious as to see what the next one might say, he reached out again…  
  
"Stop that!" A hunched-over old woman growled at him, pushing the wizard back with her cart. "Coupon hog!"  
  
"All…all right…here." Basil, frankly terrified, flung the coupons at the woman and fled to the front of the store. He had seen Muggles exchanging small objects for their food, so he guess that he would be expected to do the same.  
  
"Beep. Beep. Beep." The cash registers tolled out each purchase with a dreadfully dull ping.  
  
"And that comes to twenty-four and seventy-six." The lanky adolescent behind the cash register said to Basil, ripping off a small piece of paper that the machine had produced and giving it to the wizard. His name tag read 'Hi! How may I help you?', which puzzled Basil. "Nice costume, by the way."  
  
Basil nodded, digging twenty-four Sickles out of his pocket. He didn't have any Knuts on him, but the few bronze coins he would lose for giving an extra silver would not be anything to worry over. A smaller boy was busy packaging the things that Basil had purchased, working silently until he had two paper bags and one plastic waiting for his customer.  
  
Looking at the strange coins Basil offered, HimayIhelpyou frowned. "I …uh…I think I'm going to have to get my manager. Wait here, will you?"  
  
The several thousand people in line behind Basil groaned, and the same coupon-obsessed woman cried out:  
  
"Just take his coins and let 'im go. We've all got food spoiling as we speak!"  
  
Not waiting for another opportunity, Basil scooped all three bags into an awkward bundle and tottered quickly out of the store.  
  
---------------  
  
"Well?" Stelmaria raised an eyebrow, waiting for a reply. Kiba looked this way and that, fluttering to Draika's shoulder with a small twitter.  
  
"I…er…" Xeran began with red rising in his cheeks. But he didn't have to waste time making up an explanation, for Basil arrived back at that very moment, levitating all three bags in front of him as he slammed the door and leaned against it, closing his eyes thankfully.  
  
"Basil!" Damien leapt up, immediately whisking the most promising-looking bag to where the others had leapt up. Xeran beckoned another one over to him, and Wren grasped the third one. It didn't take long for Basil to relate his entire experience to the group.  
  
"You paid him in OUR money?!" Dia nearly screeched. "You went out like THAT?!" She glared at Damien, snatching a can of olives out of his hands, easily popping it open before giving it back to him. "Don't expect me to deal with all the questions that'll be coming our way; you're on your own this time…"  
  
No one had much to say to Dia, but Basil quailed under her fiery glare. "Well, we've got food, haven't we?" He replied, taking a gulp of milk from the carton.  
  
"Ewwww! Not from the carton, you lout!" Stelmaria smacked him on the back of his head, causing milk to squirt out of the green-haired wizard's nose as she grabbed the container from him and went to fetch proper cups.  
  
"Won't the people from her school come looking, then?" Pegasus pocketed his knife, looking down at Draika. Her expression was still incredibly distant; eyes moving without any sort of sentience. "I don't know who they listed as her primary caregiver when putting her into St. Mungo's."  
  
"Probably a teacher, or someone like that." Damien had several olives speared on the tines of a fork, and was busy picking them off one by one….  
  
-Location Unknown-  
  
"You have no idea." A shadowed face watched the scene in the gloomy light of a large crystal, eyes alert and sharp. The voice was neither male nor female, made indistinguishable from the howling of the wind outside. "We are searching for you, girl…" 


End file.
